Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Probationary driving age

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (18:40): (1379) My question is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety on behalf of the many young people and parents who would like to reduce the probationary licence age in Victoria to 17 in line with every other state and territory.

I raised this issue last year and the minister’s response said that the change would not be in the community’s best interest and raised concerns about increasing the accident rate. As a parent of two P-platers and one L-plater, I agree that safety is crucial, and training is vitally important to ensure our young people are ready for the responsibility of driving solo. Any road accident statistic is a bad one, regardless of your age. But in Victoria right now you need to do more training to serve coffee than you do to drive on our roads. We require learner drivers to record 120 hours of driving in a logbook, but unless they have someone teaching them properly, at the end of it they may still not know how to park a car.

I encourage the minister to consider the driver training programs in New South Wales. If a learner driver completes a one-day safer driving course, they earn 20 hours of credit on their logbooks, and if they do 10 hours of professional driving lessons, they receive a further 20 hours of credit. I have been contacted by people across the state keen to see the law changed in Victoria, particularly in regional areas where there is limited or no public transport available, and not everyone has a parent or carer available to ferry them around.

Victoria is the only jurisdiction in Australia that has a minimum probationary driving age of 18. New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the territories enable a lower minimum age – everywhere except Victoria. I have spoken with a former police officer, a driver trainer and heard from many families who live near the border who believe that young people in Victoria are at a major disadvantage. I received a letter from a grandmother in Kyneton. She shared her experience of driving her grandson who lived 3 hours from TAFE while he did an apprenticeship that was another 50 kilometres away. She thinks this change would be a godsend.

I have also been told that there are many trying to get around the rules by using an address in New South Wales to get their licence. For young people who have done the hours of training and are ready to drive safely on their own, a drivers licence opens doors to educational and employment opportunities, access to health services, to engage in community events and sports and to help others. I spoke with industry leaders keen to see this change to make it easier for young people to engage in the workforce, particularly in apprenticeships that may require an early start.

In 2017, a parliamentary committee inquiry looked at the issue and recommended that Victoria lower the age to 17. They heard from numerous stakeholders, understood the risks and recommended change. On behalf of the many young people, parents and grandparents who have written to me on this issue, I ask the minister to review the government’s position and consider the benefits of introducing incentives to improve driver training and bring the age of probationary licences to 17 in Victoria, in line with every other state and territory.